IMHO, you are wrong. Here in Australia, it is undergoing something of a revival, and that revival is coincident with 'deregulating' the hobby somewhat. Instead of Novice classes needing CW/morse, now we have 3 classes here, Foundation, Standard, and Advanced - no morse, and the number of F calls seems to have exploded (eg VKnFxxx being a foundation licence).(I recently got my licence - at 52. I got a Std call, but then my background is electronics. And I guess I always have been something of a bookworm/techo/nerd type. It wasn't so much morse that put me off for so long, as family and work responsibilities).

So, NO, Ham Radio isn't dead - far from it.It is however, morphing and evolving. In partnership with the internet I would say (this forum being but one example - echolink and IRLP being others).

"KILL" might be a little strong, but I'll tell you one thing that 'dern' sure isn't helping Ham Radio. THESE FORUMS!! I've never been in such a Sweet/Sour situation. I am an experienced Ham Operator. I'm not the Final Word on much of anything, nor do I WANT to be. That said, I do LIKE to share what I have learned, no...*USED*... in my pursuit of our hobby. I cruise around from time to time, on Forums that are aligned with my interests and abilities, and whenever I enter one, to share or to help some guy, it *NEVER* fails to become a fight with some guy that see's himself as The Pro. Honestly. It reminds me of two horses at the fence, each trying to put his neck OVER the other. No damned fun, I'll tell you. And this is where the Novices come for info?

IMHO ham radio is alive and well. Its just right now we are in a low spot sunspot wise. Just wait. In a few years when the sunspots are starting to pop (Hopefully soon) there will be people to talk to on all bands. Then all this talk of ham radio dying will go away because we will all be busy making DX contacts!!!!!!!! :-)

CW is far from sparse. I feel i am 10 times more likely to get a return to my 5wpm CW CQ than a SSB CW. I have had nights on the general portions of 40 and 80 calling cq for half an hour or more. On CW i would be shocked if that happened. I am not being a CW snob and have had many great QSOs on SSB and enjoy it from time to time, but there is just something about CW. If you are burned out on all the 80M nets and such, give CW a try. I know i am having a blast!

they can get more poeple on the HAM if they stop makeing take a test to get on the radio. lots a cbers get on the radio and are smarter then HAMS but they never take no test. a test dont make you smarter with a radio. may be if they let all cbers try out HAM free for a month or some thing and if they like it they can send away for the licence and get there own call numbers. the HAM test is from the stone age!!! now lots a poeple have cell phone or cb radio and no more about radioes then in the old days when no body new nothing and had to read a book. but now poeple can work ellectronics better so dont need no test any more. if HAM were not a snob club more poeple would get on the HAM channels!!!

Copyright 2000-2018 eHam.net, LLC
eHam.net is a community web site for amateur (ham) radio operators around the world.
Contact the site with comments or questions.
WEBMASTER@EHAM.NETSite Privacy Statement